Senior Reporter
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
Forty people, including four children, were rescued by fire officers on Sunday night after they were trapped after a river level rose preventing them from leaving a hiking trail in Blanchisseuse.
However, while thankful the rescue was successfully made, an officer from the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service’s Search and Rescue Unit is encouraging hikers to be more careful when hiking.
Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, a member of the unit, who asked not to be identified, said potential hikers should take note of the weather conditions before going on a hike.
“Pay attention to your surroundings. Have an idea of the agencies and people that could help. Also, if you’re going on places like this, you could always contact the Fire Service Search and Rescue team and let them know where you are going and how many people are with you, and let us know what time you may be back so we can look out for you.”
On Sunday night 40 hikers, believed to be part of a church outing, had to be rescued from a hiking trail to Avocat Waterfalls in Blanchisseuse. The group got trapped after the river rose following heavy rainfall which led to flooding. The fire officer said all hikers were unharmed after the ordeal.
The officer warned that even if rain does not fall in the area the hike begins, being aware of weather patterns will help. He mentioned another incident that ended tragically when the river levels rose unexpectedly.
On August 2, the body of Tara Lochansingh was found in Matura River after she was swept away the day before. The 48-year-old was with some 10 to 15 family members celebrating the Emancipation Day holiday at the river, when she and a six-year-old relative got into difficulties. The six-year-old girl was rescued.
The search and rescue officer said hikers should also share their live location with someone outside the hiking group to make it easier to find them should the need arise.
“People also have insufficient flotation devices, which is a big problem. I would recommend, personally, from experience, even if the water is waist high, always have sufficient life jackets. Because the river can come down anytime. It may not be raining where you are, but upstream it may be.”
He added: “And the river comes down rapidly. Other than the water coming down, it has debris coming down. So, there’s all kinds of risks that the average untrained person wouldn’t know about, and wouldn’t know how to navigate through it, if they ever find themselves in it.”
He said Sunday’s rescue was not isolated as there have been countless instances in the past.
